


Wings of a Lion

by Eastofthemoon



Series: Wings of a Lion [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Family, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Gen, Humor, Shiro Week 2017, Team as Family, Wing AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-06 18:45:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12823752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eastofthemoon/pseuds/Eastofthemoon
Summary: Shiro wanted to strengthen his bond with the Black Lion, but he never dreamed it would go this far.





	Wings of a Lion

**Author's Note:**

> I love wing au so I figured writing it for Black Paladin Week was the perfect reason for it. I wrote it for the theme Free Day/AU. Hope you all like it.

“Coran, can you check out my back?”

Coran gazed up from his tablet and frowned as he set it aside. “I can, Number 1, but is there something wrong?” 

From what he had read, the last mission had no reported injuries. Come to think of it, though, it wouldn’t be the first time Shiro had attempted to hide wounds from his team and deal with them discreetly. He had a bad habit in doing that so the other Paladins and the Princess wouldn't worry.

Shiro shook his head as he rubbed his neck. “No, no, it’s just...strangely itchy.”

Coran tilted his head. “Itchy?”

Shiro nodded as he gestured to his back. “It’s this weird feeling that comes and goes, and I swear no matter how many times I scratch it still lingers.”

“And it’s only your back?” Coran confirmed before grasping his chin. “Did you purchase a new shampoo? I do recall the incident that new one Lance bought that gave him that nasty rash awhile back. Never trust an Unilu hairdresser, I always say.”

That had been a long endeavour to suffer through. Coran had been positive it was a virus of some sort until they finally pinned down the cause to that new shampoo Lance had brought from the mall. Number 3 had been very disappointed about it too. It had given his hair such a silky look - or so he had claimed.

“No, I haven’t done anything different,” Shiro said with a sigh. “It’s just…,” he scratched at his back, “itchy.”

“Curious,” Coran said as he set the tablet aside and patted the examination table. “Come sit, and I’ll take a look.”

Shiro obeyed and removed his shirt as he sat. Coran only gave brief pause as he saw the scars that had become so familiar to him now. They had never truly shocked him. Coran had seen more than his fair share of scars from treating the original paladins. However, it had always saddened him to see them on Shiro. It seemed wrong someone that young had to carry scars that should belong to old soldiers like Coran himself.

He cleared his head as he brought out his scanner and ran his fingers over Shiro’s back. “Hmm...well, it appears normal.” He circled his fingers around Shiro’s back. “Does it hurt anywhere?”

“No,” Shiro said with a strain in his voice, “but it’s feeling itchy again.”

Coran narrowed his eyes as he continued to examine Shiro, but stopped as he felt a tiny bump.

 _Odd. I know that wasn’t there before...wait there’s another one almost next to it._

Frowning, Coran gently pressed into both of the lumps. “Does this hurt?”

Shiro sighed. “No, but...that actually helped the itch to go away.”

 _So, not tender,_ Coran thought, but it was peculiar they were itching. He pressed the scanner over the lumps, and looked over the x-ray on the screen.

“I don’t see anything particularly wrong,” Coran spoke as he walked around to see Shiro’s face, “but I did find two lumps back there.”

Shiro’s face paled slightly. “Lumps?”

Coran patted his shoulder. “Don’t be alarmed, my scanner doesn’t detect anything abnormal about them.”

Shiro looked relieved, but then raised an eyebrow. “Then what are they?”

“Best I can wager is you’re having an allergic reaction of some kind,” Coran said as he went to his shelf and rooted through his medical supplies until he found the jar. “I’ll rub some of this ointment on, it should help relieve the itch.”

He reached into the jar and proceed to gently rub it into Shiro’s back. “If all goes well this should clear up in a day or so.”

Shiro glanced back, narrowing his eyes. “That does feel better but...I can’t imagine it being an allergic reaction. I haven’t done anything different.”

“Ah, yes, but you would be surprised what the smallest thing can do,” Coran said as he replaced the lid of the jar. “Why, I remember this one time as a lad I stumbled into this normal-seeming bush with my grandfather.” He twirled his mustache. “Afterwards, I found this odd moss growing right from my-”

“Thanks, but I think I’m good without the details,” Shiro said hastily as he slipped his shirt back on. He looked anxious as he rubbed his neck. “I get what you’re saying, but...I don’t know.” He glanced over his shoulder. “This feels like...more than that somehow.”

Coran gave a small smile. “Well, I will try to run some further tests tomorrow.” He wrapped his arm around Shiro’s shoulder as he gave a comforting squeeze. “Till then, try to get some sleep. I’ll bet you anything the itch will be long gone by tomorrow morning.”

Shiro seemed unconvinced, but he forced a smile. “Alright, I will. Thanks, Coran.”

“Anytime, Number 1.” Coran waved him a goodnight before he reached for his tablet and reviewed the scan results. He grasped his chin in thought and shook his head. “I should take my own advice and get some rest,” he said as rubbed his eyes. “I just hope Shiro is able to get some sleep.”

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Shiro was doubtful he would ever be able to sleep. The ointment did ease the itching a little, but it still lingered to the point that it seemed like the only thing that existed in his darkened room. Yet, by some miracle, Shiro did eventually doze off and fell into a deep sleep.

No nightmares came for once, but the dream he had was odd. He dreamt the Black Lion was standing before him, but not as a giant ship. She stood before him as a regular sized lion, her giant white wings unfurled from her back as if she was displaying them for all to see.

Shiro stared mesmerized by the sight and didn’t break out of his stupor until he heard the Black Lion roar at him. Somehow, he knew she was telling him to kneel and he did. Shiro could feel her warm breath as she pressed her nose against his forehead. Her purrs vibrated through his body and left a pleasant tingle behind.

Then, he caught a glimpse of something bright out of the corner of his eyes. He turned his head around and briefly saw what looked like the tips of glowing feathers.

In another eyeblink, Shiro woke up with a gasp and lay there stunned in his bed before he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. 

“That was strange,” he muttered to himself as he sat up, but then paused. His back wasn’t itchy anymore. Truth be told, his body felt great and oddly a bit lighter than before.

Shiro grinned as his rotated the kinks out of his shoulders. “I guess Coran was right after all.” 

He then glanced to the clock and realized it was past time to get up. His mood was so good, Shiro found himself whistling as he got dressed although he found himself stopping briefly as he got his shirt on. It felt tighter for some reason. Could it have shrunk in the wash?

 _Might have to get a new shirt then,_ he thought as he exited his room. _Shame, I really liked this one._

Still, his joyful mood wasn’t ruined as he exited his room and headed towards the kitchen. He was glad to see the other paladins were already up, and Hunk was flipping another pancake as he entered.

“Morning,” Shiro greeted as he made a beeline for the ‘space coffee’ Hunk and Pidge had managed to cobble together.

Lance looked up from his breakfast as he leaned against his hand. “You sound chipper. Good sleep?”

Shiro nodded as he picked up his mug and walked past Hunk to the table. “Yeah, I’m feeling great this morning.”

“So great that you’ll cancel training for today?” Lance said with a hopeful grin.

Shiro smirked. “No, in fact, I’m thinking we do double our normal routine today.”

Lance scowled as he pouted. “Hate to see what you suggest when you’re in a bad mood then.”

“You don’t want to know,” Keith said as he sipped his coffee. “Trust me on-”

“Uh, Shiro,” Hunk interrupted as he set a plate of pancakes on the table, “what do you have inside your shirt.”

Shiro frowned as he set his mug on the table. “What do you mean?”

Hunk wiped his hands on his apron before he pointed. “You got something bulging inside the back of your shirt.”

“Huh?” Shiro asked as he tilted his head. “I don’t have anything back there.”

“Uh, yeah, you clearly do,” Hunk said as he continued to point. "It's like some kind of stealth fanny pack...did you find a way to hide snacks from Allura's mice?"

“Let me see,” Pidge asked as he left her laptop and stood next to Hunk. “Huh. Shiro, Hunk’s actually right, there's definitely something in there...wait did it just move?”

Keith and Lance sprang to their feet to join them. “Whoa, what the- Shiro, what are you hiding under there?” Lance asked.

Shiro twitched an eye. “Nothing. Guys, if this is a prank it isn’t funny.”

Keith moved around and gave a serious frown. “Shiro, we swear we’re not pranking you. Something weird is under your shirt.”

Shiro opened his mouth, but then froze as he recalled how tight his shirt felt. Uh oh.

“Shiro?” Hunk asked, nervously. “Can we take a look?”

“Uh..” Shiro said as he straightened his posture. “Sure.”

It was probably nothing. He was probably imagining things. Everything was fine.

“Alright,” Pidge declared as she clapped her hands. “We’re going in.”

Shiro felt Pidge’s hands lift the back of his shirt and he tried to keep still. There was dead silence. Shiro wanted to hope that was better than screaming, but his nerves said otherwise.

“Uh...guys?” Shiro shifted uncomfortably. “You’re being awfully quiet.”

Pidge lowered the shirt. “Someone go get Coran and Allura.

Someone with longer legs than me. Now.”

“On it,” Keith exclaimed as he jumped over a chair and raced out the door.

“I...I can’t believe,” Hunk stammered as he forced himself to sit next to Shiro. “Just...wow...and how?”

Shiro took a deep breath and tried to keep his annoyance in check. “Would someone mind telling me what’s going on here?”

Lance patted his arm. “Alright, man, one second!” He dashed out of the kitchen and came scrambling back inside carrying two handheld mirrors in his hands.

Judging by the fancy frame on one of them, Shiro assumed at least one belonged to Allura. Had Lance been borrowing Allura’s stuff again?

“Okay, hold this one up, alright?” Lance explained as placed it into Shiro's hand. “Pidge hold up his shirt so Shiro can see...well..them.”

Shiro blinked. “Them?”

His comment was ignored as Pidge lifted up the shirt and Lance took a deep breath before holding up the mirror. “Alright, dude here you go and don’t freak out.”

Shiro skeptically held up the mirror and instantly paled. 

On his bare back were black feathers. Feathers that were attached to a small pair of wings. A small pair of wings that was growing right out between his shoulders.

“I...I have wings?” Shiro squeaked.

“You, er...it certainly seems like it,” Pidge replied as she lowered the shirt.

Shiro swallowed and suddenly wished it was just a weird itch instead.

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Coran took a deep breath as he read over the report. “Well, I have good news and bad news.”

Everyone around the room looked up hopefully. “What’s the good news?” Allura asked as she clasped her hands together.

“As far as I can tell the wings aren’t life threatening,” Coran said as with a bright smile. “Truth be told, if I wasn't mostly certain Shiro wasn’t born with them, I would have assumed they were a natural part of his body.”

Shiro pouted slightly as he raised his head and fiddled with his shirt in his hands. “So..the bad news then?”

Coran coughed as he gave a shaky smile. “Well, to be honest, I can’t see how to reverse whatever it is that caused this to you, and cutting the things off is not an option.”

“Why not?” Keith asked as he stepped forward.

“Because I mean it quite literally when I say they seem to be natural,” Coran said as he moved around and poked at the wings. “They have nerves, bones, blood, I’m afraid cutting them off would be equivalent to cutting off an arm or a leg - something I assume to be a very painful process for you humans.” He rubbed his neck. “Also, the scanners picked up that they still seem to be growing. It's quite fascinating, really!"

“What?! Lance cried. “So, they’re going to get bigger?!”

“It would appear so,” Coran replied before whirling on Pidge. "Number 5, you're the knowledge expert in the group - be honest, is this a normal part of the human growth process that you hadn't mentioned?"

Shiro scrubbed his face with the palm of his hands as Pidge stammered denials. “Great, just great.”

“This makes no sense,” Hunk said as he started to pace. “Coran, leave Pidge alone, humans don’t just grow wings! What else could be causing this?! A parasite?!”

“According to the scanners, none were detected,” Allura voiced, “and as far as I know there is nothing that could cause a being to randomly grow a pair of wings that wasn’t already natural for their species.”

“But what else could it be?” Pidge asked as she tossed up her arms.

Keith crossed his arms and shut his eyes in thought. “You know. The Black Lion has wings.”

Everyone turned to him, with Shiro's eyes being the widest. “What did you say, Keith?”

The boy sighed as he looked up. “It’s just...what if your connection to the Black Lion is causing this? She has wings.” He moved closer and touched Shiro’s shoulder. “Our bond with the lions is far from ordinary and...maybe you gaining wings is some kind of side effect.

Shiro wanted to dispute it, but for some reason he couldn’t. His grip tightened as he twisted his shirt in his hands. “Come to think of it...last night I did have this odd dream about the Black Lion.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Maybe she was trying to tell me about them.”

“Now, hold on one tick,” Allura voiced as she folded her arms, “I don't intend to dismiss your theory, Keith, but the original paladins never grew wings. I would have noticed them on my father.” Her eyes narrowed. “And I am almost certain that Zarkon never had them.”

Shiro shivered. Zarkon having a pair of wings was not an image he wanted.

Coran gave winced smile. “Well… princess, it’s possible the current paladins have a deeper bond than your father and the original paladins had.”

Allura choked slightly as she turned her head. “What are you talking about?”

Coran sighed as he set the tablet down. “Well, your father and the others, myself included, always regarded the lions more as somewhat mysterious machines than actual sentient beings.” He pointed to Keith. “We certainly never had the experience of any of the lions flying great distances merely to retrieve one of the paladins.”

“That is true,” Hunk voiced as he grasped his chin. “I mean, that’s kinda why it took so long to figure out how Zarkon was tracking us. You didn’t even think his bond with the Black Lion could do that.”

Allura’s eyes narrowed as she frowned. “Yes...I suppose that might be true - but Zarkon’s bond was deep enough to track us and he still never grew wings.”

Shiro folded his hands into his lap. His mind wandered back to his fight with Zarkon on the astral plane. “Yes, but Zarkon still viewed the Black Lion as nothing more than a powerful weapon to be controlled, not a partner whose trust you had to earn.”

After flying with the Black Lion for so long, it baffled Shiro that Zarkon could see her as nothing more than a tool. Granted, Zarkon probably viewed everyone as pawns he could control or destroy. Shiro had to wonder if seeing the Black Lion come to protect him had made Zarkon finally realize she was more than his property.

He glanced up to Allura. “I mean no disrespect to your father or the other paladins, but I believe it's at least possible we have a deeper bond with our lions than they did.”

Allura looked tempted to argue, but her shoulders slumped. “I...suspect you might be right,” she glanced to Shiro’s wings, “and there could indeed be some truth to Keith’s theory.”

“Wait, wait, let me see if I get this straight,” Lance said as he excitedly started to pace. “Shiro is starting to grow wings? Because he’s gotten such a strong bond with his lion?”

Shiro gave a weary smile and felt his wings flap a bit. “Yeah, it’s looking that way.”

Lance’s eyes brightened as he scooted closer to Shiro. “Are you going to be able to fly?”

“Lance,” Pidge growled.

“Hey, it’s a fair question,” Lance said as he held up his arms, “and just imagine how cool that could be? Shiro can just swoop down on the Galra like a hawk or a gargoyle!”

“A gargoyle?” Keith asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, like from that old cartoon show,” Lance voiced.

Keith merely shrugged.

Lance grasped dramatically. “How could you have never seen that?! Pidge, you've got an episode or two on your laptop, right?”

“Why would I have that? I’m not a cartoon archive!” Pidge replied with a huff. "Besides which, aren't you forgetting that Shiro could already do that with his armor's jets?"

“Getting back on track,” Hunk said as he rolled his eyes before looked to Shiro. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Physically,” Shiro said as he flexed his hands, “I’m fine..but growing wings.” He gave a forced smile. “Not going to lie it’s a lot to wrap my mind around. I wasn't expecting to go through yet another strange growth spurt.”

He had experienced many strange things since he went into space. He thought nothing could top seeing Coran getting the slipperies, but this was up there.

Keith’s eyes softened as he reached over and patted his shoulder. “Hey, it’ll be okay. I can’t see Black doing this if it was going to hurt you.”

“That's a good point, Number 4,” Coran voiced as he shook a finger. “It’ll just take some adjustment, and I’ll bet in a few quintants you won’t even remember the wings are there.”

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Shiro still remembered a week later. Truthfully, the wings were rather hard to forget since they increased in size every day. It didn’t take long for Shiro to realize he could feel them like any other limb and actually move them.

It was bewildering and yet strangely amazing to see the small wings wiggle when he felt like he was stretching. Growing wings had been shocking to say the least, but he found he was adjusting fairly quickly. While Shiro would have appreciated being asked if he would like a pair of wings, they were a symbol of the close bond he shared with the Black Lion. It was proof of something Zarkon didn’t have.

Still, the wonder and surprise of his wings faded by the time they finally stopped growing. His wings had grown large enough that he could wrap his wings around himself and another person, and he had a layer of white feathers underneath the black ones. Shiro’s biggest concerns by now were adjusting his armour and clothing to accommodate his new 'limbs', but his worries seemed to be handled. 

It hadn’t taken much to adjust his shirts so his wings wouldn’t be bound by them - the Altean databases had fashion records from dozens of species, and Allura had found a few useful designs for Shiro to try. Likewise, after going through a series of adjustments, Coran was able to produce armor that could cover his wings in space. 

“You won’t be able to fly while the armour is on them, too heavy and all that,” Coran explained as he pointed to the button on the suit. “However, just press here and the armour will retract from your wings. They'll be unprotected, but you’ll be able to fly around like a little kizamari with no issue.”

“If I can fly,” Shiro stated softly. “We still don’t know yet if I can.”

Truthfully, flying had been the last thing on his mind - he'd been preoccupied with how easy it was for his massive wings to knock things over.

The first time had been a simple accident. He had turned to pass Allura a tablet, and hadn’t realized what he had done until he felt his wings slam into the princess. Shiro heard a grunt and sheepishly turned around to see Allura a bit dazed as she sat on the ground.

“Sorry,” Shiro said as he blushed and helped her back up.

She smiled and reassured him it was alright, and Shiro believed it...until he accidently knocked over Hunk’s mixing bowl. Then there was the incident in Pidge’s workroom when he was handing Pidge a tool and whacked her clear out of her chair. It didn’t happen a lot, but Shiro began to notice the others were developing a habit of either dodging his wings or hastily grabbing objects before he knocked them over.

Yet, the last straw had been in training. The whole group had been taking on a practice droid - supposedly fit for an Altean preteen - and Shiro had tried his usual tactic of leaping over his friends in order to block the attack. It might have gone well, but he'd forgotten about his wings.

The added weight on his back caused him to stumble, trip and fall flat on his face. If Hunk hadn’t shot at the droid or if Keith hadn't intervened with his sword, Shiro was sure he would have gotten a staff to the face. Once the droid had been deactivated, Shiro grumbled some curses he hoped younger ears wouldn't hear.

“Wow, those sound like new words to add to my vocabulary,” Lance said as he offered Shiro a hand.

“Please, don’t,” Shiro grumbled as he took the hand and stood up. He glanced back to his wings and gave them a flap as he sighed. “It's time I did something about these, they're becoming a serious concern.”

“Aw, Shiro,” Hunk said as he stepped forward with a reassuring smile as he put away his bayard. “They’re not a problem.”

Shiro removed his helmet. “Yes, they are. This might have been a simple training session, but had it been a real battle I would have put the rest of you in danger.” He narrowed his eyes at the group. “I know you haven't been saying things, but I suspect the rest of you have been getting some 'evasion practice' because of my problem.”

The paladin each gave a sheepish grin, until Keith stepped up and patted his shoulder. “Hey, patience yields focus, remember? You just need more practice.”

Shiro shook his head. He should have known Keith would throw that back against him. “Maybe, but time isn’t something we have.”

Pidge tapped her chin. “Well, maybe it’s time to see if you can fly with those things.” She gave a grin and she crossed her arms. “If you work on exercises that are only possible using your wings, it might help you develop the muscle memory to adjust to fighting with them.”

“Hey, yeah!” Lance cheered as he snapped his fingers. “Then we can finally have our flying paladin!”

“We don’t know if I’ll be able to fly,” Shiro added, as he felt his wings flapped restlessly. “Still, it’s not a bad idea.”

“Okay, so where do we do this then?” Keith asked as he shrugged.

Lance smirked as he snapped his fingers. “In the lower section of the castle there’s a big old ballroom that has balconies, railings and high ceilings. Shiro can practice jumping off from a bunch of different heights.” He spread out his arms like they were his own wings. “We'll set out a bunch of mattresses on the floor and bam! We got the perfect place for Shiro to practice his flying skills.”

Hunk raised an eyebrow. “And you know know about this because?”

Lance crossed his arms. “What? Do you know how many times I’ve got dragged off by Coran to do cleaning? I swear I’ve must have been into - and polished - every nook and cranny of this place.”

“It sounds like a good plan, Lance,” Shiro cut in, glancing back to his wings as he tried to ignore the uneasiness he was feeling.

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Shiro blinked at the sheer number of mattresses laying about on the floor of the ballroom. “Did you take every mattress in the castle for this?”

“Of course not,” Coran said as he finished placing the final mattress and stepped back. “The Castle of Lions is well-prepared for a diplomatic contingent of any size! I only had to repurpose about half.”

Hunk glanced around uneasily as he rubbed his arms. “Are you sure this is a good idea? What if this isn’t enough to break your fall? Are Altean mattresses even springy enough to absorb that kind of impact?”

“Only one way to test that,” Lance declared as he climbed the stairs to the nearest balcony. He gave an impish grin as he climbed on top of the railing.

“Lance,” Pidge groaned as she placed her hand on her forehead, “I know you have to remember the bake sale incident. You're not seriously going to-”

“YAHOO!” Lance jumped off the balcony and dived to the mattresses below.

Shiro prepared to rush forward and catch him, but stumbled and was too late as Lance landed with a thud. He gave a grunt as he raised a hand with his thumb up.

“I’m good,” Lance said as he sat up. “Yup, that...might be enough padding now. Maybe. Coran, got like another dozen of these, just in case?”

Allura placed a hand over her heart. “That is good, but I think we would prefer some warning next time.”

“No kidding,” Shiro said as he knelt to be at eye level with Lance. “You nearly gave me a heart attack there.”

Lance shrugged. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” He pointed to the stairway. “Alright, so get up there so we can see you fly.”

Shiro glanced up hesitant, but gave a slow nod as he went up the stairs. He felt everyone’s eyes upon him as he reached the top and then swung his legs over the railing.

“Alright,” he declared as he attempted to flap his wings a little, “here goes.”

He took a deep breath, jumped, flapped and let out a yelp as he landed face first into the mattress. He groaned as he sat up and felt Keith approach him.

“You okay?” Keith asked while helping him stand up.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Shiro grumbled as he glanced to the wings. “I didn’t even glide.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like baby birds get it on the first try,” Pidge voiced as she got closer. “It might just take a few tries.”

“Pidge is right,” Allura said with a comforting smile as she gently patted Shiro’s wings. “It will be like forming Voltron - you just need more practice.”

So, Shiro tried again. And again. And again.

Upon the sixteenth time Shiro dropped like a rock, he rolled to his back and glanced back to his wings. “I’m starting to think this was a waste of time.”

Hunk frowned as he knelt next to Shiro. “But this doesn’t make sense,” he said as he fingered one of Shiro’s feathers. “I mean yeah, the wingspan isn't necessarily going to let you gain height even in artificial gravity, but you should be able to generate enough lift to offset a lot of your body mass. Theoretically, you should at least be gliding from those jumps - it just doesn't make sense!”

“Yes, but perhaps there’s more to it than that,” Coran said as he twirled his mustache in thought. “Perhaps your wings are going to respond to some need, some instinct.”

“What’s more instinctive than flinging yourself off a railing and trying not to go splat?,” Lance voiced.

“Well, I’m not certain if I’m explaining this correctly, but these seem to have given to Shiro as a result of his bond with the Black Lion,” Coran said as he crossed his arms. “Assuming you all aren't playing some elaborate prank regarding human wings, it's most likely connected to that. We all know it takes more than just knowing how to fly to pilot a lion.”

“That’s true,” Shiro said thoughtfully as he looked at his wings. 

The first time he had piloted the Black Lion was because they had a Galra ship preparing to blow them up along with the castle. He had been relying more on instinct than piloting skills during that fight.

“I wonder if we’re making it too safe,” Shiro said as he poked his toe at a mattress. “Instinct does come more naturally when there’s a bit of danger involved.”

“So what?” Keith said with a raised eyebrow. “You’re suggesting we just toss you off a cliff? Or have Allura start shooting artillery like when we were trying to form Voltron?”

Shiro shrugged. “Not saying I like the idea, but it might work.”

“Nope, nope, way too risky,” Hunk voiced as he shook his head. “Not happening. My heart couldn’t take it.”

Allura sighed as she gave a small smile. “How about we leave this flying business alone for now? I think we’ve had enough practice for one day.” She gave Shiro a smile. “It could simply be a case of you having to wait for the right time to use them.”

Shiro frowned and all he could do was nod in return. 

Little did he realize that the right time came much faster than any of them could have anticipated.

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A few days later, the paladins received a distress call from a planet that was attempting to fight off a Galra occupation force. The Galra base was hidden deep within the planet's largest jungle, and it was impossible to see from the sky in their lions.

The paladins had no choice but to split up and search for the Galra base on foot. Keith and Lance searched in one direction, Shiro and Pidge searched in another, while Hunk stayed with Allura to prepare the locals for the upcoming battle.

Shiro found it was difficult to avoid catching his wings on the branches of the surrounding trees. Still, despite the hot sticky humidity, swarming bugs swooping around their heads, and the giant winding roots they had to carefully navigate to avoid getting tripped or even trapped, the search seemed to be going well. 

Shiro's optimism lasted until, following what sounded like sentry footsteps, he and Pidge stumbled upon a group of orange reptiles as large as lions. Their triple-sets of eyes locked onto him and Pidge with clear hunger within.

“Uh oh,” Pidge muttered as she stepped back. “Shiro…”

“I know,” Shiro said in a calm tone as he took a step back. “Pidge, slowly back away and-”

Before Shiro could giving Pidge advice, a hidden reptile sprung down from an overhead branch and pinned her face-down. The girl struggled as the creature tore its claws into the back of her armour.

“Get off her!” Shiro lunged, grabbing the giant lizard by its tail and flinging it at its companions.

“You okay?” Shiro asked as he helped her up.

“Yeah,” Pidge huffed as the suit's vitals appeared on her wrist, “but my jetpack is busted thanks to Happy McClaw there.”

Shiro looked to the reptiles and saw they were beginning to circle around them.

“Run!” Shiro cried as he rushed the nearest reptile and tossed it aside.

“Where do we run to?” Pidge asked as she ran, pausing to hold back a branch and whack the fastest reptile.

“Head straight for that stream we spotted,” Shiro said as he pointed as he got his cybernetic arm ready. "The foliage won't be as dense there, and we can follow it to a more defensible position."

They ran for what felt like an eternity with the growling reptiles on their tails. Shiro felt teeth nipping at his wings, but a quick flap turned out to be effective at knocking the predators back.

 _Guess they're useful for something,_ Shiro thought.

Then, he spotted a clearing up ahead. Relief washed over Shiro, but it evaporated as they reached it and saw nothing but the edge of a cliff.

Pidge peered over and cringed. “You've gotta be kidding me!” She looked back and forth searching for ideas. “My jetpack is damaged, but yours might be able to slow down our combined weight...maybe. I really don't like the numbers.”

Shiro winced as he estimated the drop himself, and hit the button to retract the armour on his wings. “We can try, but we’ll have to-”

Two lizards burst out of the bushes. Shiro raised his arm, but not before one targeted Pidge and swiped its claws at her. Pidge jumped back reflexively, but lost her balance and to Shiro’s horror fell off the edge.

“Pidge!” Shiro cried as he blocked the other lizard, kicked it away and jumped after her.

His heart was pounding in his ears as he fell, desperately reaching out to Pidge.

Come on! Come on! Shiro begged, but his fingers couldn’t reach her.

Then he heard the Black Lion growl in his mind, like it was encouraging him. Shiro suddenly realized there was a strong breeze rising up from below. Without thinking, Shiro’s wings spread out and he surged forward.

He wrapped his arms around Pidge, and then let the updraft catch them like drifting leaves. They rolled, but Shiro’s wings regained control and he held Pidge to his chest as he guided them down to the ground below.

His heart didn’t stop pounding until his feet touched solid ground. “Pidge? Are you hurt?” Shiro asked as he checked her over.

Pidge didn’t look the least bit concerned as she gaped at him. “Shiro..you flew!” She tugged at his wings. “You just saved me by flying!”

Shiro blinked, as his brain slowly recalled what just happened. “Huh…,” as he glanced to his wings, “yeah, I guess I did.”

Pidge tilted her head as she crossed her arms. “Wait, were you not even realizing you were doing it?”

“I guess not,” Shiro said with a chuckle as he set Pidge down. “Guess I did have to wait for instinct to kick in.”

“And it only took giant lizards and me being flung off a cliff to do it,” Pidge said with a laugh. “Man, Lance will be mad he missed it.”

“We’ll tell him the good news later,” Shiro said as he patted her shoulder. “Let’s see if we can find a path in the jungle that doesn’t risk us being eaten.”

Pidge nodded as she led the way, and Shiro very subtly let his wings flap with a bit of pride.

A few days later, they were able to free the planet, and they had returned to the castle. Shiro removed his shirt, but paused as he caught a glimpse of his wings in the mirror. He turned to get a better look, spreading them wide to show the black and white feathers.

“I guess I could get used to these things,” Shiro muttered. “If they’re good for my lion they’re good for me.”

He heard Black growl in agreement in his head.

Shiro smiled, but his train of thought was interrupted as a knock sounded on his door.

“Shiro, it’s me,” Keith called out.

“One sec,” Shiro said as he put his shirt back on and opened the door. 

Keith scurried inside while gripping his jacket tightly around him like a blanket. 

“Close the door,” he replied in a near panic voice. “I have a problem.”

Shiro frowned as the door slid shut. “What’s wrong, buddy?”

Keith sighed as he removed his jacket. “Lift up my shirt and look at my back.”

Shiro’s eyes widened, but tried to keep calm as Keith turned around and Shiro lifted up his shirt.

On Keith’s back were a pair of very tiny red wings growing from his back.

"Well, on the bright side, at least I can keep giving you flying advice." Shiro smiled faintly as he lowered Keith's shirt.


End file.
